It’s Your Birthday

Jesus we remember it’s Your birthday

Who actually remembers?

Without CHRIST there will be no Christmas, but take a look around you this season, in big shopping centres with Christmas carols blasting out of the loudspeakers and discounts everywhere. This beautiful season has been polluted  by the modern world to nothing more than yet another opportunity to enjoy yourself.

Christmas is now sometimes known as Xmas, the world has taken the Christ out of Christmas! Ironic isnt it? Christmas without Christ isnt Christmas at all. Where is Jesus in all this?

The King of Kings humbled himself, wasnt born in a palace, but in a manger. even sinners like us were born in hospitals, but Jesus was birthed in a manger.  what humility He has shown and how can we take this for granted?

the song below really speaks to me alot and i hope it will speak to you too. Christmas isnt about parties, isnt about food, isnt about presents, yes we can have fun, but definately not at the expense of Jesus.

As little children
We would dream of Christmas morn
Of all the gifts and toys
We knew we’d find
But we never realized
A baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We were the reason
That He gave His life
We were the reason
That He suffered and died
To a world that was lost
He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by
We learned more about gifts
The giving of ourselves
And what that means
On a dark and cloudy day
A man hung crying in the rain
All because of love, all because of love

I’ve finally found the reason for living
It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do every word that I say
I’ll be giving my all just for Him, for Him

He is my reason to live

by all means, have fun this Christmas, but let Jesus be at the center of your fun…

Be Still

Still
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

Real Confidence

Show the world confidence and they may accuse you of complacency or arrogance. We live in a world that is full of stress, the more stressed we seem, the more work we are doing, but is this really the case?

Jesus turned this notion on it’s head. In the middle of of a severe storm, he fell asleep in his boat. Even his disciples, who were seasoned fishermen panicked at the storm, they were terrified. But guess what? Jesus was sleeping.

As the Creator of all things, Jesus was in full control of the situation. When we put our trust in Him, we too can rely on His resources. When we understand that He is in control, our stress will dissipate.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm

Mark 4:39

Dont confuse confidence with complacency, or a flurry of activity with productivity. Looking busy may fool people into thinking that you are doing alot of work, but it is not the path of a follower of Christ. The One who is poised in the midst of the storms of our lives, is the One in full control and is just the One you want in your boat during a storm.

Some people may have asked me why am i so relaxed before a test or exam, my answer is Jesus is in my boat. The One who can calm the storm is my life. It’s hard to describe it but there just is that surreal sense of peace that overwhelms me. Coz i know that God is in full control. Some of you may view that as arrogance but there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence. I go into each paper knowing that my God is with me, through the calm and through the storm, He is there with me through it all. I have experienced the sudden peace that overcomes all anxiety many times and it is something i cannot describe, its like you know when your mum puts a blanket over you in the middle of the night to keep you warm? It’s something like being covered by a blanket, feeling that warmth and that sense of peace and assurance. That is why i go into each paper full of confidence, not arrogance.

The world’s prescription is to keep busy. God’s remedy is to trust Him and find real peace. Is there any reason why you should not ask Jesus to save you?

Love things?

There was once a man who had worked hard and saved his money for many years before finally being able to afford the car of his dreams- A red porsche. Eveyday after work he would spend time maintaining his car, washing it and making sure it remained in perfect condition.

 

One saturday afternoon, while he was polishing his car, he noticed his young son, with a small carving knife, making marks on his car. In a fit of anger, he grabbed the nearest tool next to him and sent it crashing down onto his son’s hand. Only when he heard his son’s loud cries did he realise the tool he had grabbed was a wrench. He had sent the sharp tool all the way through his son’s middle finger, leaving it hanging on by a single tendon.

 

Immediately he rushed his son to the hospital and on the way there the young innocent boy with tears in his eyes asked “Will my finger grow back?” The father was heartbrokened.

 

Reaching home later on, he went to his car again to take a closer look at the damage done. The boy was not scratching his car after all, with the carving knife, his son had engraved the words:

“Daddy, I love you”

 

The man broke into tears.

 

Sometimes in life, especially in this materislistic society we live in now, we often focus too much on things, that we forget what is really important- people. The people around us, our family and friends who have always been there for us. What really matters, our materislistic possesesions or the people whom care for us and whom we care about? Dont be like the man in the story, he had loved his car more than his son, and in the end when he came to realise it, it was already too late, his son’s finger was long gone.

 

That new pair of shoes or that bag may seem attractive right now, but is it worth damaging reletionships to get it?

 

USE things and LOVE people and not USE people and LOVE things.

Be careful not to get too caught up with what money can buy, but instead focus on the things that money CANNOT buy. Compared to that dumb bag which may spoil within a year, things like friendships last forever.

Are you loving things more than people?

 

 

Do you really know?

Do you know about God or do you Know God?

no difference? think about this…do you know Obama? you know he is the president of the United States, you may know that he lives in the white house or you may even know what time he goes to sleep each day…

But the question is, does he know you? does he even know you exist? do you share a relationship with him?

the same applies, you may have all the head knowledge of God, you know that He is the almighty God, you know that He is the creator of all things, you may even have memorized the Bible from top to bottom, from left to right, from down to up, but do you really know Him?

Be assured that God knows you, He knows each and every single one of us. Black or white, red or yellow. He knows us better than we know ourselves. God was the one that knitted us in our mother’s womb, He knows the number of hairs on our head!

This is the same God that created the heavens and the earth, yet He chooses to feed the sparrows, He chooses to love and care for us. God knows each and everyone of our names. God know us.

The question is: Do we know God? Do we share an intimate relationship with Him? God longs for you to accept Him, He is knocking at the door of your heart, waiting for you to open the door and invite Him in. He will not force you to do so, but He will be waiting patiently outside that door, waiting for you to open your heart to Him. Waiting for you to have a relationship with Him.

Will you do it? Nothing on earth will be able to separate us from the love of God, the thing is will you allow Him into your life in the first place?

 ^“38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

 

 

Footprints

One night a man had a dream that he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, the other belonging to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints, and that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life…

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child. I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

“during your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then I carried you”

i guess this is a familiar story to many, but have we ever stopped to ponder?

some of us may think that God has forgotten about us or about our situation, but He is here with us

the Bible says our names are inscribed in the palm of His hands and Heaven and earth may fade but His word will remain forever

And He will be able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think of…

Only if you put your trust in Him…

Second Chance

Hillsong United- Second Chance

You called my name, reached out your hand,
Restored my life, and I was redeemed,
The moment you entered my life,
Amazing grace, Christ gave that day,
My life was changed,
Went from my shoulders, fell the weight of my sin

Chorus

So it’s with everything I am,
I reach out for your hand,
The hope that changed a second chance I’ve gained,
On you I throw my life, casting all my fears aside,
How could greater love then this, ever possibly exist

Consume my thoughts, as I rest in you,
I’m now in love, with a Saviour,
Bearing the marks of his love

Chorus x2

Bridge

So I wait upon you now,
With my hands released to you,
Where a little faiths enough,
To see mountains lift and move,
Yeah and I wait upon you now,
Dedicated to your will,
To this love that will remain,
A love that never fails

How could greater love than this ever possibly exist?

if a terrorist were to point a gun at your head and ask you to deny Christ, would you do it?

i was talking to some of my friends today and i realised that some of them werent even sure of their own salvation.

If you deny Jesus before man He will deny you in front of his Father in heaven, would you rather be thrown in eternal hell or suffer momentarily here on earth for the sake of Jesus?

Who was the one that carried the cross for our sin?

Who was the one who descended from His throne in heaven to suffer on earth?

Who was the one who was mocked by us, humiliated and insulted, but yet chose to die on that cross for us?

Jesus.

How can our earthly suffering possibly compare to what Jesus suffered on that cross?

Jesus died on that cross to give us a second chance- a chance for a new beginning…

some of us are living our lives as empty shells trying our best to fill ourselves up with the pleasures of this world, we are so thirsty, longing for something to quench that thirst

Good results? the approval and praise of men? pretty girls? Big houses, fast cars? Money?

all these things despite giving momentary satisfaction will eventually fade away,

Imagine the day you die and God asks you why should I let you into my heaven?

And you answer: ” I scored an A1 for all my subjects!” You really think that would get you into heaven?

see my point?

these things would never be enough to get us into heaven and to quench that thirst in our hearts

only Jesus can quench that thirst

“heaven and earth may fade, but His Word will still remain”

God has given us that second chance at life-It’s up to you to believe and to gratefully accept that second chance

But if you are already a Christian and  your answer to the question at the top was a “No” or “i don’t know”…

Friend its time to re evaluate your faith

perfect love

Hillsong United-Perfect Love

I wanna see the broken hearts
Finding hope in God above
I wanna know I’m doing all I can
So with this life, with all I am
No matter what the cost may be
I pray to see Your love become our cause

I won’t stop believing
You alone are, You alone are God
In You there’s freedom

Your love brings me to my knees again
We’re gonna bring an anthem of love
We’re gonna live for You now

This perfect love, I can’t explain
This way of life that has no end
Your mercy satisfies, it’s all I need
My purpose found in You alone
To love the lost and bring them home
We were made to glorify our King

I won’t stop believing
You alone are, You alone are God
In You there’s freedom

Your love brings me to my knees again
We’re gonna bring an anthem of love
We’re gonna live for You
May Your love become my every thought
I wanna know the sound of Your heart
I wanna live for You now

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope
You’re all I need

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope
You’re all I need

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope
You’re all I need

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope
You’re all I need

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope
You’re all I need

Sing You, You bring me life
You bring me hope You’re all I need

we have seen the perfect love of God, what will be our response?

God has commanded us to love our enemies and our neighbors  as ourselves, shouldnt we love as God first loved us?

Sin

sometimes i wonder…

how is sin characterized? according to one’s own moral standards? according to the laws of society that we live in?

shouldnt we not be conformed to the world but live according to God’s standard, the perfect law of God?

when we sin, there will be that irritating little bug in you making you feel guilty. gnawing at your heart, reminding you over and over again of the wrong  you have done. we all really hate that feeling but can we live without it?

some people try to block that little conscience of theirs out, ignoring its constant bugging, but it never works. How then will that little bugger go away?

Who will forgive us of our sins?

I thank God for his son Jesus Christ

All man are born imperfect;

“all man have sin and fallen short of the glory of God”

so no man is fit to claim forgiveness over you. How can a sinner forgive another sinner? Only by the perfect blood of Jesus when he died on that cross for each and everyone of YOUR sins, will be able to wash us clean. Only a perfect man will be able to redeem sinners and that is exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross

“the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

God has redeemed us, now it is up to us to receive this forgiveness and for our sins to be washed clean…

“for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for OUR sins”

He was a sinless man, yet he chose to die for us…

“im forgiven because you were forsaken

im accepted you were condemned

im alive and well your spirit lives within me

because you died and rose again…”

the greatest love that anyone could ever know, that overcame the cross and grave to find my soul…